Unexpected discovery: Asthma medicines can help kidney patients recover their sense of smell

A common problem in patients with chronic kidney disease is loss of smell, which can lead to inadequate diet. Because malnutrition in kidney patients can lead to poor quality of life, overall health is affected and may even die prematurely.

However, a new study shows that the use of an asthma drug can improve the sense of smell in patients with kidney failure.

"Our ultimate goal is to be able to interfere with the attenuation, smell sensation and thereby improve the nutritional status of kidney patients," Dr. Sagar Nigwekar said in a press release. of the American Nephrology Association.

The study was conducted in 36 patients with chronic kidney disease, 100 patients with renal failure and 25 patients with normal renal function. The average score for the odor recognition test is about 76% among kidney disease patients, 67% for people with kidney failure, and 84% for people with normal kidney function.

Teodor Paunescu, colleague Teodor Paunescu said: "We found that, most kidney disease patients have olfactory problems, defects in odor recognition ability are really common in these patients, and The severity of this condition depends on the severity of the kidney disease they are suffering from. "

Not only that, the researchers also found a link between loss of senses and nutritional deficiencies in patients with kidney disease.

Nigwekar and Paunescu are adjunct professors at Harvard Medical School and kidney department researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

The study showed that the use of a 6-week asthma drug, called theophylline, or Theolair, helped improve the sense of smell of 5 out of 7 patients with kidney failure.

Nigwekar said: "These findings help reinforce the findings in the next larger study . "

This research has just been published in the Journal of American Society of Nephrology.